Book signature feed



July 26, 1938. c. SCHRAMM BOOK SIGNATURE FEED 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001:. 14, 1957 July 26, 1938. c. scHR-AMM 300K SIGNATURE FE-ED Filed Odt. 14, 1957 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED STATES BOOK SIGNATURE FEED Carl Schramm, North Coventry, Conn., assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 14,

11 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism which is designed to automatically remove folded sheets or book signatures from a stack one at a time and deposit them upon the feed saddle of a book,

magazine or pamphlet stitching or stapling machine. Mechanisms for this purpose have means for opening the signatures so they will straddle the saddle when deposited thereon.

The object of this invention is the provision of means which will insure the rapid and accurate opening and laying of the signatures upon the feed saddle of such a machine.

Signatures have been opened by passing them between suction rolls, also by suction cups swung against their sides. In such cases the signatures are drawn open by suction against the outer sides leaving the inner leaves free to assume the proper positions, a more or less uncertain state depending upon the size of the signature and weight and condition of the paper. It has also been proposed to open signatures by blowing currents of air between or against their inner leaves. With leaves of thin paper the result of this is uncertain, and leaves of heavy paper require separated.

The present invention contemplates the employment of mechanical means that is rapidly thrust between and withdrawn from between the inner leaves of the signatures as they appear above the saddle, either alone or in conjunction with other means applied to the outer leaves, in order that the entire areas of the inner leaves regardless of size, weight and condition and tendency to adhere shall surely be separated to a greater extent than the width of the top of the saddle upon which the signatures are to be deposited.

Mechanism for transferring signatures from a stack to a sewing machine feed saddle is set forth in Patent No. 2,025,527 granted upon my application filed July 26, 1934, and the present invention is illustrated and will be described with relation to such mechanism, although the invention is not limited to that particular type of feed mechanism.

In the machine of said patent the signatures are stacked one upon another and the folded edge of the lowest signature is withdrawn and presented to fingers on a rotating cylinder and carried around until the folded edge is engaged with clips, at which time the grasp of the cylinder fingers is released. With the folded edge of the signature gripped by the clips suction means are swung up and in against the outer leaves and powerful blasts in order that they be properly 1937, SerialNo. 168,876 (Cl. 270-53) then down and out so as to draw the signature from the clips and pull it open. When the signature is sufiiciently opened the suction means releases the signature and allows it to drop in an opened condition upon the saddle. Only so much 5 of the mechanism of the prior machine is illustrated and described herein as is necessary to show the adaptation of the present invention to that machine.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a fragmentary front elevation of the cooperating mechanisms of the prior machine and mechanism which embodies the present invention.-

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the mechanical means provided for ensuring the complete separation of the inner leaves of the signatures.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the Valve that controls the effective action of the suction cups which engage the outer leaves of the signatures.

Fig. 4 is a central section of the valve that controls the means employed for projecting the mechanical means between the inner leaves of the signatures.

Fig. 5 shows a fragmentary side elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. l. 3

Figs. 6, '7 and 8 diagrammatically represent the relative positions of a signature and the means for opening it with respect to the feed cylinder and receiving saddle.

The signatures i are brought by the disks 2 which form the feed cylinder, into position to be grasped on opposite sides by the suction cups 3 attached to the ends of arms 4 which extend from tubular rock shafts 5 that are supported by yokes 6 at the'upper ends of angle levers l. The lower ends of the levers l are provided with intermeshing segments 8. One of the levers I has an extension 9 that engages with a cam groove In in a face of the disk i l on the shaft 12.

The rock shafts 5 have arms l3 that are connected by links M with levers I5 provided with intermeshing segments IS, the axes of these seg-- ments 16 being coincident with the axes of the segments 8. One of the levers l5 has an extension I! that is engaged with a cam groove H3 in a ,3 face of the disk H on the shaft [2. The tubular shafts 5 which have openings communicating with the suction cups 3, are connected by ducts l9 with a duct 20 leading from a rotatory valve 2| that is connected by a duct 22 with the suction ,0 side of an air pump 23. The valve 2| controls the effective action of the suction cups. By these means the suction cups are carried into engagement with the outside leaves of the closed signatures and then swung out and drawn down 55 so as to open the signatures above the saddle 24, as more completely described in the patent above referred to.

With some classes of paper neither suction on the outer leaves of the signatures nor blasts of air blown between the inner leaves of the signatures will properly control the inner leaves of the signatures-the inner leaves will not be completely separated and opened sufiiciently wide over their entire areas to correctly locate themselves on the saddle, in which case the signatures will go to the stitching machine improperly opened and the book will be imperfectly stitched.

To obviate this defect mechanical means are arranged to be quickly thrust between and Withdrawn from between the inner leaves of the signatures as they are brought down and before their lower edges reach the saddle. For this purpose there is illustrated a long cyinder 25 supported by a bracket 26 above the saddle in line with the middle of the signatures and opposite one edge, as indicated in Fig. 6. In the cylinder is a piston 21 connected to which is a rod 28 with an enlarged dart-shaped head 29. This piston is retracted by a spring 30. A duct 3| leads from the cylinder to a rotary valve 32 that is connected by a duct 33 with the pressure side of the air pump 23. The valves 2| and 32 are mounted on the same rotary shaft 35 and in a single casing. As allowed by the timing of the valve 32 air pressure from the pump is exerted through the duct 3| against the piston and the enlarged head of the rod caused to dart forward between the inner leaves of the signatures and separate them,

i as illustrated in Fig. '7. 'As the piston reaches the forward end of the cylinder air is exhausted from behind it through the vent 34, Fig. 2, and the spring 30 instantly retracts the piston.

With the embodiment of the invention illustrated according to the timing of the valves suction is exerted against the outside leaves of the signatures and the signatures partly opened, and then with a very quick movement, the dart is projected between the inner leaves of the signatures for their entire length so that those leaves will be positively opened the required distance to allow the signatures to be correctly deposited upon the saddle. Thus regardless of the character of the paper of which the signatures are formed and the size of the signatures, their inner leaves are positively separated by this mechanical means so that they will, without danger of folding or crumplingor failing to separate, be correctly deposited on the saddle.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, suction means movabe against the outside leaves of the signatures for feeding and opening the signatures to a greater extent than the width of the saddle, and means projected between the inner leaves of the signatures while said suction means is functioning for insuring the complete separation of the inner leaves whereby the inner leaves will be properly deposited on each side of the saddle.

2. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, suction means movable against the outside leaves of the signatures for feeding and opening the signatures, and mechanical means longitudinally reciprocated between the inner leaves of the signatures while said suction means is functioning for insuring the complete separation of the inner leaves by said suction means whereby the signatures will be properly deposited astride the saddle.

3. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, oscillatory suction means movable against both outside leaves of the signatures for opening the signatures. and reciprocatory mechanical means projected between and .out from between the inner leaves of the signatures for insuring the complete separation of the inner leaves by said suction means whereby the signatures will be properly deposited on the saddle.

4.. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, suction means movable against both outside leaves of the signatures for feeding the signatures, and means projected between and withdrawn from between the inner leaves of the signatures while the suction means is functioning for insuring the complete separation of the inner leaves whereby the signatures will be prop erly deposited on the saddle. I

5. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, pneumatic means operating upon the outside leaves of the signatures for opening the signatures, and mechanical means thrust between and withdrawn from the inner leaves of the signatures for insuring the complete separation of the innerleaves before said pneumaticmeans has ceased opening the signatures.

6. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, a plurality of pneumatic means adapted to engage both sides of the signa tures for opening them, and mechanical means co-operating with the pneumatic means for insuring the complete separation of the inner leaves of the signatures.

7. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprisesv a saddle, pneumatic means adapted to engage both sides of the signatures for opening them, and a reciprocatory dart movable between the inner leaves of the signature for insuring the complete separation of the inner leaves above the v saddle.

8. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, a dart, and means for causing said dart to reciprocate between the inner leaves of the signatures for separating them above the saddle.

9. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, a dart located above the saddle, and means for projecting said dart between and withdrawing said dart from between the inner leaves of the signatures when above said saddle. V

10. Apparatus for feeding book signatures which comprises a saddle, a dart located above the saddle, and pneumatically actuated means for projecting said dart between the inner leaves of the signatures.

11. Apparatus for feeding book signatures, which comprises a saddle, a dart located above the saddle, pneumatically. actuated means for projecting said dart between the inner leaves of the signatures, and spring means for withdrawing the dart from between the inner leaves of the signatures.

. CARL SCHRAMM. 

